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For Teenagers, Potassium May Matter More Than Salt

A diet high in potassium appears to protect teenagers from high blood pressure in adulthood, while a low-salt diet had no effect, according to new research.

A new study tracked the eating habits and blood pressure of 2,185 9- and 10-year-old girls for up to 10 years. While dietary advice has long focused on reducing salt intake, the study found that sodium intake had no long-term effect on the girls’ blood pressure. However, they did find that girls who ate diets high in potassium throughout adolescence had lower blood pressure than girls who ate fewer potassium-rich foods.

Lynn L. Moore, the study’s lead author and an associate professor of medicine at Boston University, said the findings were important because nutrition recommendations often focus on reducing sodium intake to improve both adolescent and adult health. But the study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, suggests that teenagers would get more long-term health benefits by eating more potassium-rich foods and not worrying about salt.

You may be surprised how many teenager-friendly foods are a good source of potassium. For snacks, a banana has 420 milligrams of potassium, and a snack-size box of raisins has about 350 milligrams. A whole baked potato or potato skins (about 700 milligrams) and baked sweet potato fries (about 500 milligrams) are good sources of potassium. Guacamole from one avocado will have about 900 milligrams or more of potassium. A serving of low-fat yogurt will have more than 500 milligrams of potassium; adding fruit will increase the potassium even more. For teenagers with a taste for leafy greens, spinach and kale are packed with 800 to 900 milligrams of potassium per serving. Kiwi, nectarine, papayas and even dried coconut all have good amounts of potassium.

The recommended intake of potassium is 4,700 milligrams a day, but only a small percentage of people achieve that, Dr. Moore said.

“It may be that potassium is more of a determinant of blood pressure than sodium is,” Dr. Moore said. “The kids who consumed the most potassium had much lower blood pressures by the end of adolescence. What we need to focus on is increasing potassium intake rather than focusing on restricting sodium intake.”